


exhibition.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: (not at all spooky) skywalkers series [october writing challenge 2020] [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1970s, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, One Shot Collection, Prompt Fic, Short One Shot, Tumblr Prompt, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, october writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26972680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: Twenty-four years after she’d said she’d think about putting together an exhibition, Padmé finally agreed to get something set up.  As soon as she met with the curator, the fact that she was Padmé Skywalker came up, but she decided to let it go.  There was nothing that was going to stop the fact that she was a Skywalker getting out, and there was nothing to be ashamed of in being a Skywalker anyway.  She was proud to be one, so incredibly proud to be Anakin’s wife, and if his last name was what got her the exhibition, then fine.  She was going to make the most of it anyway.But it was when Padmé told Luke about the exhibition that he knew it was time.or: Padmé is finally going to exhibit her art and Luke knows that it's an opportunity that he can't miss out on.(these will really make little sense unless you read the whole series.)
Relationships: Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker
Series: (not at all spooky) skywalkers series [october writing challenge 2020] [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947904
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18
Collections: October Writing Challenge - 2020





	exhibition.

**Author's Note:**

> attempt to break my writer's block day 12.
> 
> welcome to the next generation! as much as I loved the anakin/padmé stories, I did say that this was a three-generational story, so here we are with generation number two. most of these stories as going to be han/leia, I think, simply because I don't really know all that much about mara jade. but I really wanted luke to have someone, so I'm borrowing her from the legends books and bringing her in. these will not be as innocent as the anakin/padmé ones were, but I still there there will be a lot of enjoyment in them even though there is some sadness as well. this particular one is not one of the sad ones, but there has to be some sad stuff in these, simply because it has to be explained why ben is the only one of his generation. 
> 
> anyway, this is really a bit of fluff, so I hope you like it.
> 
> and as always if you liked what you read and you want to see more, let me know via a comment or kudos or bookmark so that I know I'm not writing into a void. enjoy!
> 
> october 12: “I want to marry you.”

**1977**

Twenty-four years after she’d said she’d think about putting together an exhibition, Padmé finally agreed to get something set up. As soon as she met with the curator, the fact that she was Padmé Skywalker came up, but she decided to let it go. There was nothing that was going to stop the fact that she was a Skywalker getting out, and there was nothing to be ashamed of in being a Skywalker anyway. She was proud to be one, so incredibly proud to be Anakin’s wife, and if his last name was what got her the exhibition, then fine. She was going to make the most of it anyway.

But it was when Padmé told Luke about the exhibition that he knew it was time.

He’d been dating Mara for three and a half years, and he knew that he never wanted anyone else. She was just as much an artist as he was, and they were constantly painting things for each other, from little cards to large canvases. He knew that it scandalized her parents but they had moved in together as soon as graduation was over, and Mara would joke that she was glad he was a Skywalker if only because he could afford the large apartment they lived in. There was plenty of room for all the things they painted there as opposed to the studio apartment in Brooklyn her parents had wanted her to get instead of moving in with him.

Luke had thought of the way he wanted to propose about a year after they started dating, but they were still in high school and it wasn’t the time. The thought had never left him though, and so one day while Mara was busy with her mother, he went over to his parents’ penthouse to talk to his. Padmé ushered him inside and got them each some hot cocoa while Luke sat down at the kitchen table and took a deep breath.

He knew he was about to ask a lot from his mother, and he knew that there was a very good chance that she would say no. If she did, he’d find another way, but for now, it was nothing but hope for the best.

Padmé came into the room and set the mugs down on the table, pulling out a chair and smiling at him. “You normally don’t come over without Mara.”

“I know,” Luke said, reaching for his mug and twirling it around in his hands. “But I need to talk to you about something and I can’t have her around when I do it.”

Padmé stared at her son for a moment before what Luke meant hit her. “You’re going to propose.”

Luke nodded. “I know you’re going to tell me that I’m too young, but…”

“But you are the age that your father was when I married him,” Padmé interrupted. “And therefore, I would be hypocritical if I told you that you were too young to get married.”

Luke smiled. “I forgot that Dad was only nineteen when you got married.”

Padmé smiled back. “Being a Skywalker matured him beyond his years. I dare say the same has happened to you and your sister.”

“I don’t know about Leia,” Luke laughed, “but I will thank you for that compliment.”

Padmé just shook her head. “Alright, what’s the plan for the proposal? Your father asked me while we were painting together.”

Luke gave her an amused look. “You got Dad to paint?”

“He used to paint with me often before he became CEO. Now he’s entirely too busy to even entertain the thought.”

“I want to see something that Dad painted.”

Padmé shook her head. “I don’t believe we have anything that he painted anymore. But I will look when I am searching for pieces to exhibit.”

“Speaking of pieces to exhibit, that’s kind of what I’m thinking for the proposal.” Luke took a long sip of his drink, ignoring the way it burned his tongue. “I’ve always thought that I’d propose with a painting, you know? Something that we can keep forever. But I’ve never really known how to give it to her. You having an exhibition gave me an idea, and you can totally say no to it. I wouldn’t blame you if you did. My stuff is nowhere near good enough to exhibit in a place like Gladstone Gallery.”

“You want me to exhibit it among my paintings,” Padmé said, breaking out into a grin when Luke nodded. “That’s fabulous because I was going to ask you and Mara to each contribute to the exhibition anyway.”

Luke blinked a few times. “What?”

“I already talked it over with the curator. I told him I wanted my son and daughter to be able to display their art as well.” Luke sat there in shock as Padmé sipped at her drink. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just thought that you might like to showcase your talent. You both are better than I am anyway.”

“I don’t know about that, Mama,” Luke said, shaking his head slightly. “This is incredible. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

“We’ll get into more details about it once Mara is here with us again, but for now, let’s talk about this proposal,” Padmé said, nodding when Luke looked at her. “I’ll tell you all about how your father proposed to me if you want.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that story, so I’d love to hear it.”

Two weeks later, Luke packed his paintings into the packaging that the gallery had sent over for transportation while Mara was in class so that she didn’t see the one he’d been painting in secret. Perhaps he was getting a little presumptive with what he’d painted, but he was pretty sure he knew what Mara’s answer was going to be anyway. Or, at least, he really hoped he did.

He helped Mara pack up the paintings she’d chosen to exhibit once she was back, and then once the packages were at the gallery and they were headed home, Luke felt the nerves start to set in. Three days. Three days until he showed Mara the painting and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. He needed to act like nothing was going to happen until then.

So, of course, he didn’t.

“You’re acting weird,” Mara told him two days later. “Why?”

“I am not acting weird,” Luke countered back, and she just gave him a look.

“Luke, I know what you normally act like and it is not this. You are totally acting weird.” 

Luke took a deep breath and tried to quickly come up with a reason that she wouldn’t see through. “I’m just super nervous about the exhibition, Mara,” he tried. “Not just because of my stuff being there, your stuff as well, but none more so than Mama. She has kept herself from exhibiting her work for so long and now she’s going to, and she was telling me today about the media that is going to be there for opening night, and I’m just really nervous for her.”

Mara gave him a soft smile and came towards him, pulling him into an embrace. “I’m nervous too, but probably not as nervous as you are because I don’t have the history with Padmé that you do. But stay calm, okay? This is going to be amazing for all three of us.”

“I hope so,” Luke said, thinking about his planned proposal. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t.”

“You’ll be fine then too,” Mara said, kissing him softly. “I’ve got homework to do. You go finish that sketch of me you started.”

“Hey!” Luke exclaimed. “That was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Then don’t work on it in front of me,” Mara said as she walked away. “I could totally tell you were sketching me!”

Luke sighed and headed into the living room, dropping down onto the sofa and grabbing his sketchbook off the table. Finishing the sketch was the best way to keep his mind off what was happening the next day. Except it wasn’t because sketching the woman who the proposal centered around was not going to keep him from thinking about it. 

Luke could barely function the next day, and Mara thankfully just attributed all of it back to the nerves he’d talked about the day before. By the time they were headed to the gallery in the afternoon to see everything on display before the opening that night, Luke had worked himself into such a frenzy that he could barely speak. But once they were inside the Gladstone Gallery and were walking into the exhibition space with the rest of his family, he realized that he needed to calm down or he was going to screw up this very important moment in their lives.

Well, important if Mara said yes, which he was hoping that she did.

Padmé caught his eye and nodded in the direction of where the painting was hanging, and so Luke took Mara by the hand and headed in that direction while his mother directed Anakin and Leia to follow her in the opposite one. “There’s a painting over here that I want you to see before anything else,” Luke said when Mara questioned where they were going. “I think you’re really going to like it.”

Mara let out a small laugh. “Did you paint something specifically for the exhibition? No wonder you were coming to bed so late.”

“Yes,” Luke said, trying to temper his nerves. “And I want you to see it before anyone else.”

He spotted it on the wall and took a deep breath. “Close your eyes, okay? I want to surprise you.”

“Luke, honestly,” Mara said, but she did as he asked. 

“Alright, follow my lead,” Luke murmured as he walked her to it. He let go of her arm and reached into his pocket, grasping the ring in his fingers and taking a deep breath. “Alright, open them.”

Mara opened her eyes and took in the sight before her. A field full of wildflowers with a couple walking through it, the man in a suit and the redheaded woman in a long white dress. It was absolutely beautiful, and she was just about to turn and tell Luke that when she caught sight of the sign that displayed the name of the painting and gasped.

“Do you like it?” Luke asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. “I hope you like it.”

“The,” Mara got out, her voice shaky, “the name of the painting. I want to marry you. Luke.”

“Yes, it’s called I want to marry you,” Luke murmured. He let go of her waist and held a hand up in front of her, the ring clasped between two fingers. “I thought this was the best way to ask.”

“Luke,” Mara whispered, tears running down her cheeks. 

“Mara,” he said quietly, “will you marry me?”

Mara nodded because she didn’t think she could speak and Luke immediately felt relief flow through him. “Oh thank God,” was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and Mara started laughing.

“This is what you were so nervous about. Not having an exhibition of some of our paintings and your mother’s. This.”

“Yes, it was,” Luke said, reaching for her hand and sliding the ring onto it. It was a little too big and the diamond immediately slid to the side, and he sighed heavily. “Great.”

Mara chuckled and held her hand up to get a good look at it. “We’ll just have it sized, honey. It’s gorgeous.”

Mara turned around before he could say anything and Luke reached up to wipe away her tears. After a moment, they both leaned forward to kiss each other, but before they could, they were interrupted by Leia shrieking. “Yay, I have a sister!”

Mara laughed as Luke turned and glared at her, Padmé admonishing her in the background. “It’s alright, Padmé. Leia’s allowed to be excited.”

“She could at least allow me to kiss you first,” Luke grumbled, and Mara rolled her eyes before kissing him softly. 

“We’ve got the rest of our lives to kiss each other, Luke. Let’s just celebrate with your family and then tour the gallery. I am so excited to see what all your mother picked to exhibit.”

“Yes, let’s get that tour in,” Padmé said. “We don’t want to be late for lunch.”

“Lunch?” Luke asked. 

“Did you honestly think your mother was going to let you just go home after this preview without some sort of celebration happening?” Anakin said, shaking his head. “And to think, I’d thought you’d met your mother before.”

Everyone laughed until Padmé spoke again. “Alright, look around. Take your time, but not too much time. We really do not want to be late for the reservation.”

Luke reached down and took Mara’s left hand, feeling the cool of the metal of the ring against his skin, and he smiled. “Where should we start?” he asked, and Mara pointed across the room. 

“There.”

“Then let’s go.”

As they walked away, Mara looked back at the painting. “You’re not going to sell that one, are you?”

“Of course not,” Luke said. “That one is yours.”

“Excellent. I know just the place to hang it.”

“I can’t wait to see where.”

“I love you, Luke.”

Luke grinned. “I love you too, Mara.”


End file.
